Electric tool and data transmission method

Abstract

An electric tool includes a motor, a light having a function in addition to a data transmission, a switch configured to switch power supply to the light in accordance with a user operation; and a control unit. Upon a switch is switched from OFF to ON, the light is blinked at a frequency above the human-sensible range on the basis of data such as the usage history data of the electric tool. An average of the blinking frequency of the light is approximately 4,800 Hz when a bit rate is set to 9,600 bps, for example. Further, an average of a duty ratio of a drive signal of the light during blinking is approximately 50%.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An electric tool comprising:
 a motor;   a light having a function in addition to a data transmission;   a switch configured to switch power supply to the light in accordance with a user operation; and   a control unit configured to control the light,   wherein the control unit controls the light to be blinked at a frequency above a human-sensible range on the basis of predetermined data when the switch is switched to ON or OFF.   
     
     
         2 . The electric tool according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the control unit controls the light to be blinked when the switch is switched to an on-state and then controls the light to be turned-on during a period when the switch is in the on-state.   
     
     
         3 . The electric tool according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the control unit controls the light to be switched from a turned-on state to a blinking state when the switch is switched to an off-state and then controls the light to be turned-off during a period when the switch is in the off-state.   
     
     
         4 . The electric tool according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein the control unit controls the light to be turned on at a voltage lower than a magnitude of voltage applied to the light when the light is in the blinking state.   
     
     
         5 . The electric tool according to  claim 4 ,
 wherein the magnitude of voltage applied to the light when the light is in the turned-on state is about half of the magnitude of voltage applied to the light when the light is in the blinking state.   
     
     
         6 . The electric tool according to  claim 3 ,
 wherein the control unit controls the light to be turned on at a voltage lower than a magnitude of voltage applied to the light when the light is in the blinking state.   
     
     
         7 . The electric tool according to  claim 6 ,
 wherein the magnitude of voltage applied to the light when the light is in the turned-on state is about half of the magnitude of voltage applied to the light when the light is in the blinking state.   
     
     
         8 . The electric tool according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the control unit controls the light to be blinked when the switch is switched to an on-state and then controls the light to be blinked at different frequency that is above the human-sensible range and is different from the frequency at the blinking state.   
     
     
         9 . The electric tool according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the control unit controls the light to be switched to the blinking state when the switch is switched to an off-state and then controls the light to be turned-off during the period when the switch is in the off-state; and   the control unit controls the light, before being switched to the blinking state, to be blinked at different frequency that is above the human-sensible range and is different from the frequency at the blinking state.   
     
     
         10 . The electric tool according to  claim 8 ,
 wherein a duty ratio of voltage applied to the light when the light is blinked at the different frequency is approximately 50%.   
     
     
         11 . The electric tool according to  claim 9 ,
 wherein a duty ratio of voltage applied to the light when the light is blinked at the different frequency is approximately 50%.   
     
     
         12 . The electric tool according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the control unit controls the light to be blinked at a bit rate more than 1 kbps in the blinking state.   
     
     
         13 . The electric tool according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the predetermined data includes usage history data of the electric tool.   
     
     
         14 . The electric tool according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the light is a light for illumination.   
     
     
         15 . The electric tool according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the switch is configured to further serve as a switch for switching power supply to the motor in accordance with a user operation.   
     
     
         16 . A method for transmitting usage history data of an electric tool from the electric tool to a data reader, the method comprising:
 turning on or off a switch, the switch being configured to switch power supply to a motor of the electric tool in accordance with a user operation;   controlling a light of the electric tool to be blinked at a frequency above a human-sensible range on the basis of the usage history data when the switch is switched to ON or OFF, the light having a function in addition to a data transmission; and   controlling the data reader to read out the usage history data by receiving the blinking light of the light using a light receiving element of the data reader.